Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Anigozanthos flavidus cultivar Bush Spark.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Anigozanthos plant, commonly referred to as Kangaroo-Paw, botanically known as Anigozanthos flavidus, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Bush Spark.
The new Anigozanthos is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Tuggerah, New South Wales, Australia. The objective of the program is to create new compact Anigozanthos cultivars that have a long flowering period, branched flowering stems, bright flower coloration and improved disease resistance.
The new Anigozanthos originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor of the Anigozanthos flavidus cultivar Joey Calypso, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unidentified selection of Anigozanthos flavidus, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Anigozanthos was discovered and selected by the Inventor in a controlled environment in Tuggerah, New South Wales, Australia, on Aug. 10, 1998 from the resultant progeny of the above-mentioned cross-pollination.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by in vitro propagation of micro-plants since February, 1999 in Tuggerah, New South Wales, Australia, has shown that the unique features of this new Anigozanthos are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Bush Spark have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Bush Sparkxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Bush Sparkxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar of Anigozanthos. 
1. Compact and upright plant habit.
2. Moderately vigorous growth habit.
3. Freely and continuous flowering habit.
4. Freely branched flowering stems.
5. Bright red to red purple-colored flowers.
Plants of the cultivar Bush Spark can be compared to plants of the female parent, the cultivar Joey Calypso. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Tuggerah, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Anigozanthos and the cultivar Joey Calypso differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had dark green-colored foliage whereas plants of the cultivar Joey Calypso had greyed green-colored foliage.
2. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had branched flowering stems whereas plants of the cultivar Joey Calypso did not have branched flowering stems.
3. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had bright red to red purple-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar Joey Calypso had yellow green-colored flowers.
Plants of the cultivar Bush Spark can be compared to plants of the male parent, the unidentified selection of Anigozanthos flavidus. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Tuggerah, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Anigozanthos and the male parent selection differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had curved leaves whereas plants of the male parent selection had straight leaves.
2. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had shorter leaves than plants of the male parent selection.
3. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had shorter flowering stems than plants of the male parent selection.
Plants of the new Anigozanthos can be compared to plants of the cultivar Bush Inferno, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/747,788 filed concurrently. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lompoc, Calif., plants of the new Anigozanthos differed from plants of the cultivar Bush Inferno in the following characteristics:
1. Flowering stems of plants of the new Anigozanthos were more freely branching than flowering stems of plants of the cultivar Bush Inferno.
2. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had smaller flowers and inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Bush Inferno.
3. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had bright red to red purple-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar Bush Inferno had bright orange-colored flowers.
Plants of the cultivar Bush Spark can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Bush Ranger, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,478. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Tuggerah, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Anigozanthos and the cultivar Bush Ranger differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had curved leaves whereas plants of the cultivar Bush Ranger had straight leaves.
2. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had bright red to red purple-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar Bush Ranger had darker red-colored flowers.
Plants of the cultivar Bush Spark can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Bush Garnet, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Tuggerah, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Anigozanthos and the cultivar Bush Garnet differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had curved leaves whereas plants of the cultivar Bush Garnet had slightly curved leaves.
2. Plants of the new Anigozanthos flowered earlier than plants of the cultivar Bush Garnet.
3. Plants of the new Anigozanthos had bright red to red purple-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar Bush Garnet had dark red-colored flowers.